The DJI Osmo Action 7 could be less than 12 weeks away, according to this product history – but some people have suggested that there might be something even sooner than that.
Looking at the number of days that each of the Osmo Action cameras has spent in DJI's list as the flagship before being superseded by a new model, we can see that – at the moment – a life of somewhere between 322 and 425 days seems realistic. We are already at 216.
The first iteration, admittedly, had a very different 896 days. But that was an Action camera during the days of a global pandemic, so there was likely no hurry for a replacement – and there were some unavoidable delaying factors.
For several generations, DJI has comfortably sat at the top of my best action cameras guide thanks to the company's superior low-light capabilities and, frankly, better pricing than the iconic GoPro brand.
The latest GoPro Mission 1 Pro has upped the game for action cameras in several respects, at least for the American brand, by delivering 8K. DJI, however, was already offering most of this – for a lower price. So what can it do, on the technical side at least, to stay ahead of the game?
Bigger sensors have been part of DJI's path before, but there might be a sensible limit in action cameras. DJI has already included a variable aperture in the Action 6, a "feature" that GoPro resisted.
The other most obvious upgrade would be 8K 60fps video, since 8K has been a widely promoted feature not only of the GoPro but also the AcePro 2 from Insta360.
I would anticipate, too, iterative updates to what might be considered 'AI' software – electronic image stabilization, horizon steadying and face tracking.
The real difference for customers, though, will likely still be the lack of first-party support for the DJI camera in the US. DJI has not sold it directly in the US since the company was added to the covered list, though we know that it is still fighting this decision…
